Warner Bros. Confirms Ben Affleck’s Solo Batman Movie to the Surprise of No One

When Ben Affleck took the stage at Comic-Con last year to promote Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it was a mere matter of minutes before rumors began circulating that Warner Bros. was planning a new solo Batman film with Affleck set to star — and possibly direct. DC’s Geoff Johns confirmed that he was working on a script with Affleck, and since then the news has basically been repeatedly confirmed via interviews with Zack Snyder, Johns and Affleck. And now WB has gone and made it officially official by announcing that a standalone Batman film is in development with Affleck. But we already knew that.

UPDATE: Warner Bros. confirmed to IGN that Affleck will officially direct the Batman standalone film. Original story continues below...

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara made the announcement during the studio’s panel at Cinema-Con in Las Vegas (via Collider). After expressing his excitement over the 10 DC superhero films they have planned for the next five years, Tsujihara said:

We’re excited to be working with Ben Affleck on a standalone Batman film.

Some sites are already reprorting Tsujihara’s quote as confirmation that Affleck is officially directing the Batman solo film, but that particular aspect has yet to be confirmed. As of now, Affleck has co-written a screenplay with DC’s COO Geoff Johns for the Dark Knight’s next outing, in which he’ll reprise his role as Bruce Wayne / Batman. But will he direct it? That’s the big question, and it’s one that Tsujihara hasn’t cleared up — perhaps because Affleck himself has yet to commit to the director’s chair.

Affleck is currently in production on Live by Night, his prohibition-era gangster drama based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. That film has already been delayed a couple of times to allow for Affleck’s participation in Batman v Superman, and just last week it was reported that the actor is re-teaming with Matt Damon to produce Bunker Hill — which Affleck might also direct.

WB recently set dates for two untitled DC superhero films — October 5, 2018 and November 1, 2019 — with the Batman standalone project heavily rumored for one of those dates.